News & Stories

Flooding in Burkina Faso Displaces Tens of Thousands

September 8, 2009

Heavy rains caused severe flooding in and around Burkina Faso’s capital city, Ouagadougou, Tuesday, September 1.

“Some 150,000 people are now homeless, and the death toll is rising,” reported Alliance international worker Karen Wolters, whose family home in Burkina sustained some flood damage. Alliance workers Alice and Pete Brokopp were able to assist the Wolters family and others caught in the storm and its aftermath.

Devastation

“The magnitude of the flood was shocking,” Alice said. “Water covered almost two lanes of the divided four-lane highway. Cars parked in front of a garage on a nearby service road were almost completely submerged in water. This is the worst flooding since 1922″

Concerns were high for friends and workers living on the outskirts of the city where houses are made of mud bricks. “During a particularly strong rain last year, many of these houses crumbled,” Alice continued. “I dreaded to know what was happening during this rain and prayed specifically for our workers’ homes.” God heard those prayers. “Only one home one was cracked, and another eroded only a bit!”

While visiting the poorest area of town, Sector 30, the Brokopps distributed bags of rice to flood survivors. “We stopped at our church there, which had taken in 70 refugees, and gave more rice.” Remarkably, Alice added, “men had gone immediately to work to salvage what bricks they could and rebuild their homes. One man explained: ‘We do what we have to do.’”

Office Damages, Outreach

The worst damages to Alliance property appear to be at Alliance office headquarters in the capital. “Our office was knee deep in water,” Alice said. “Electrical cords were submerged, a fridge knocked over, the file cabinet saturated, and debris was floating around. Most files and a computer were saved, the copier was sitting high, but many papers and books were destroyed. We are still working to salvage some hard drives.”

ACCEDES, the development arm of the C&MA in Burkina, is distributing aid through Alliance churches to help feed and clothe 500 flood survivors.

“This disaster is an opportunity for us to show the love of Christ,” Alice concluded. “Pray for opportunities to touch hearts and offer not only physical help but spiritual help as well. Pray against illness-malaria, cholera, typhoid-that could ravage the flood displaced who are huddled in close quarters.”

What You Can Do

Because Alliance workers are in place around the world, God’s people are available to assist in times of crisis, like the recent flooding in Burkina. Giving to Alliance Great Commission Ministries ensures that these dedicated workers can continue to faithfully serve.